It all happened in a single week: an extraterrestrial spacecraft was
seen in orbit around Earth; a smaller craft was seen traveling from
the spacecraft to the surface of Earth; the smaller craft deposited a
huge metal sphere onto the surface of an Arizona desert; the smaller
craft returned to the main extraterrestrial spacecraft; and the
spacecraft then sped away out of the solar system.
Scientists and military personnel rushed to the Arizona desert where
the huge metal sphere had been placed. They found that the bottom of
the sphere had a locked entrance door. Next to the door was some kind of
interface panel consisting of screens and knobs and user controls.
Above the door was a sign which said:
WHOEVER SOLVES THIS PUZZLE SHALL BE TAUGHT THE SECRETS OF THIRTY
PLANETS
At the White House the President of the United States talked with his
advisers concerning what to do about the strange alien sphere in the
desert.
“We think that the interface panel next to the door of this sphere
is an interface challenging you to solve some puzzle,” said the
White House science adviser Howard Fontaine. “We think if someone
can solve that puzzle, the door will then open, and we can see
what's inside the sphere.”
“Maybe the aliens who left this sphere didn't want anyone to learn
their secrets unless the person was smart enough to solve the
puzzle,” said the President. “What kind of puzzle is it?”
“We've had a few people try it, and it's very difficult,” said
Fontaine. “The puzzle interface presents you with a few hundred 3D
objects or pieces, which you can rotate and position in 3D space. But
you can also specify the speed and motion direction of any object you
assemble from the pieces. It's kind of like a 3D jigsaw puzzle, with
the addition of a lot of Newtonian physics. We think that the puzzle
can only be solved by correctly assembling the pieces to form some
particular object or scene, with all assembled objects moving in some
appropriate way.”
“Clearly only the most brilliant mind could solve such a puzzle,”
said the President. “Let's gather the smartest people we can get
our hands on, and send them down to Arizona to try and solve this
puzzle. Then hopefully those doors will open, and we can get our
hands on this treasure trove of alien knowledge.”
A long list of brilliant minds went to the alien sphere in Arizona,
and each tried to solve the puzzle, so that the doors of the sphere
could be opened. One was a Harvard PhD in Applied Mathematics.
Another was the most successful 3D game designer in Silicon Valley.
Another was a man who had won $500,000 on a TV game show called Puzzle
Mania. Then there was the author of the most widely used
textbook on computer graphics. Then there was an astronomer from
Cornell University, who held the chair once occupied by Carl Sagan.
Then there was the most brilliant mind used by the military to crack
the codes used by foreign governments.
They all failed miserably.
The brilliant minds were able to figure out the basics of how to use
the puzzle interface, how to position the 3D objects in space, and
control their motion and trajectory. Some of the geniuses were able
to use some of the puzzle pieces to assemble a scene, such as a bird
flying around a house. But none of them was able to make use of all
of the 3D puzzle pieces. It was as if they had taken some of the
pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and assembled a little scene, but had
still left most of the puzzle pieces unused.
But there was one person who was convinced he could solve the puzzle.
The person was a boy named Waldo Shrumpdinkel, who was ten years old.
Waldo was a funny looking kid, with red hair, a face full of
freckles, and a gap between his front teeth. From the time he was
three years old, Waldo had always loved to play with Lego blocks,
that toy consisting of little plastic blocks you can connect
together. Waldo would even play with his Lego blocks when he was
riding on the school bus. The other kids gave him the cruel nickname
Lego Boy. In the hallways of his school, Waldo would get taunts such
as: here comes the Lego Boy, have you got some Lego blocks for me,
Lego Boy?
While studying the alien puzzle online, Waldo became convinced he had
the solution to the puzzle. So he insisted that his parents take him
to Arizona, so he could give the puzzle a try. After much arguing,
they finally agreed.
So Waldo approached the alien sphere in Arizona, which was guarded by
a platoon of soldiers.
“Let me try the puzzle,” said Waldo. “I know I can solve it.”
“You, little boy?” said the platoon leader. “Well, I
guess my guys could use a chuckle. Go ahead, give it a try. Fellows,
get a load out of who's trying the puzzle now!”
Waldo approached the alien sphere. Going up to the puzzle interface
next to the door, he began trying his solution.
Somehow Waldo had been able to see the puzzle solution in his mind,
which had been sharpened by thousands of hours of Lego practice.
Using the interface panel, he assembled half of the puzzle pieces
into a shape that matched the shape of the extraterrestrial
spacecraft that had appeared orbiting Earth. He assembled the other
half of the puzzle pieces into a shape that resembled a ringed
planet. Then Waldo used some of the interface controls to make the
spaceship shape start revolving around the planet shape.
“I did it!” said Waldo. “I used all the pieces! That's the
solution to the puzzle: a scene that shows the alien spaceship
revolving around its home planet!”
A strange loud noise came from the alien sphere. The doors at its
base opened. Waldo ran into the sphere through its open doors.
“Follow him!” yelled the platoon leader. Some soldiers also tried
to enter the sphere, but before they could enter, the doors closed.
Then for ten long days, there was no sign of Waldo. The doors of the
sphere stayed closed. A huge crowd assembled around the sphere,
waiting for Waldo to come out of the sphere. Waldo's parents were
worried that he might have no food or drink inside the sphere.
“The message over the doors says that whoever solves the puzzle
will be taught the secrets of thirty planets,” said Waldo's mom.
“Let's hope Waldo is having a nice educational experience.”
Finally after ten days there was a loud noise from the alien sphere.
The doors of the sphere opened. Waldo walked through the doors, and approached a crowd of reporters
and television cameras.
As billions watched on television, the whole world waited breathlessly for what the little boy would say
next. Then he began to speak.
“I have developed some useful...suggestions on how our
society should be completely restructured,” said Waldo with
complete confidence, “and I have some helpful...hints on how
to reorganize life on this planet.”
The long era of human history known as the Atomic Age had now ended.
The next seventy years of human history would be known by all as the
Age of Waldo Shrumpdinkel.
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